Sean McVay gives his early thoughts on Rams' challenging 2026 schedule

The Los Angeles Rams’ full 2026 schedule was released on Thursday night, laying out all 17 games for the Super Bowl favorites. It’s a difficult slate once again, a schedule that’s jam-packed with contenders such as the Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers.

Sean McVay got a look at the Rams’ schedule and joined ESPN’s “SportsCenter” to share his initial thoughts, as well as what he looks for first when it’s released.

“The first thing I'm looking at, what’s the opener? When’s the bye? When are some of those Thursday short weeks?” he said.

McVay added that he couldn’t help but notice that the Rams play on five different days of the week, except for Tuesday and Saturday. And that could change if a game gets flexed to Saturday late in the year, which would check off six different days.

As for the opener in Australia, he’s happy the NFL gave the Rams a Monday night game in Week 2, giving them some extra time to rest and recover from that long 16-hour flight back from Melbourne.

“We’re figuring that out, we’re working through it. … I was glad to be able to see – it sounds like coming back is going to be the real challenge, so it was good to have that Monday night game, give us a couple more days to get turned over,” McVay said.

The Rams will visit the Seahawks on Christmas night, and McVay said he has “a ton of respect for the reigning Super Bowl champs.” But he hopes to have a good day with the family after Christmas, following a win.

It’s going to be a grind from start to finish, but the Rams are up for the challenge in 2026.